1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional image, and more particularly, to an apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image with a lenticular lens sheet formed by an alignment of a plurality of lenticular lens pieces for providing the three-dimensional image with an enhanced level of visual ambience when a user watches a movie.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, demands for an apparatus displaying a realistic three-dimensional image are increased. In general, in embodying a three-dimensional image, a different image is reached to left and right eyes of a viewer, a brain of the viewer converges the two different images thereby the viewer feels a cubic effect.
For producing the three-dimensional image as described above, a device is needed for separating an image into a left-eye image and a right-eye image. Among such devices, there is a conventional apparatus for linearly polarizing three-dimensional image, the apparatus separating an image into a left image and a right image such that different images are reached to left and right eyes through a use of the three-dimensional glasses.
However, a system for displaying the three-dimensional image through the use of the three-dimensional glasses has a disadvantage that a user needs to wear the three-dimensional glasses. Accordingly, a development of a new system is proposed for enabling to display the three-dimensional image without using the three-dimensional glasses.
Such system is coupled with a flat display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel) for separating images in different directions. In this case, according to the device for separating images in different directions, various types of an Auto-Stereoscopy system are proposed such as a lenticular system using a lenticular lens sheet, a parallax system using a slit array sheet, an integral photography system using a micro-lens array sheet, and a holography system using an interference phenomenon. However, each of the system has advantages and disadvantages.
Among such systems, the integral photography system and the holography system are well known for a characteristic of displaying parallax in all directions compared to other systems displaying the three-dimensional image only by the horizontal parallax, the parallax including horizontal parallax.
Accordingly, each of the systems described above is known as one of best systems for copying an environment of an object viewed from the viewer in three-dimensional space. However, an amount of data to be processed is massive thereby in reality, it is possible to realize the system in far future.
Meanwhile, in case of the lenticular system using the lenticular lens, the three-dimensional image is produced by preparing at least two perspective views taken from different directions, and periodically sampling and multiplexing the perspective views.
In this case, if possible, many perspective views are employed for enlarging the three-dimensional space wherein the user sees and feels three-dimensionally. However, the two-dimensional flat display being a common device for displaying the image has a predetermined number of pixels for displaying the image. Accordingly, resolution of the three-dimensional image is lowered in inverse proportion to the number of employed perspective views taken in different directions. Therefore, the number of perspective views taken in different directions is determined in consideration of the resolution (number of pixels) of the flat display.
The system described above can also be divided into a first one (hereinafter abbreviated vertical system) of which Y direction of the lenticular lens is parallel to a vertical direction of the flat display, and a second one (hereinafter abbreviated incline system) being inclined to a predetermined angle.
Among those, in a case of the apparatus for displaying the three-dimensional image, the apparatus employing the vertical system, the more the lenticular lens includes perspective views, the lower the resolution becomes.
In the apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image employing the proposed lenticular lens of the incline system, the loss of the horizontal resolution is compensated up and down owing to the incline system compared to the vertical system.
However, the perspective view is not exactly separated in a vertical direction, but inclined at a predetermined angle and then separated. Therefore, the perspective view has a disadvantage in that the viewer needs to lean a head of the viewer to a predetermined degree for observing.
Furthermore, by leaning as described above, the perspective view is separated thus the area to observe the three-dimensional image is reduced, compared to a case of using the lenticular plate pieces of vertical system.